Two Sides Of The Same Wild Card
by jean010
Summary: An early meeting intertwines their fates far sooner than anticipated. Once partners, now standing on opposite sides, the fate of humanity is put on uncertainty under a god's mad game. Thread carefully young Wild Card, for the game has just begun. Fem!Akechi.
1. Prologue

"Akira" Normal Speech

'Akechi' People's thoughts

 **"Persona"** Other being's speech

' **Velvet'** Other being's thoughts

 **Disclaimer: You know the drill, Persona and the SMT franchise belong to our lord Atlus, may they milk Persona 5 so much it will make Persona 4 look underappreciated (and I have no problem with that)**

 **Prologue**

 **A New Game Begins**

 _Velvet Room_

" **How…interesting"** there was no other way to describe the current development that he was now being witness off, and even in the realm of possibilities that he had came up, one like this had never made itself present.

But that wasn't a bad thing, not at all. He honestly should had seen it coming, after all even if he had this whole _game_ planned out, he should have known just how unpredictable the power of the Wild Card could be, especially in the hands of such a Trickster like _him_.

He chuckled slightly, thinking of how the real Igor would have loved to have him as a guest in this very same place, too bad that the honor of _guiding_ him fell onto his own shoulders. He could even see the effects he was having onto the wardens that he had assigned to help him nurture his limitless power.

But to think he would be able to affect the other Wild Card of this game so early, far earlier that he could have ever conceited, to the point that his own predictions almost become completely null. In any other situation such a thing would have unnerved him at least a bit, after all if there was something he didn't like, it was the lack of control.

But something about the current events was enough to spark something inside him. This game had started as a way to test mankind, to see if their will of rebellion was strong enough to fight against their desire for control, but even now as the game took a sudden turn that he was not able to foreseen the fact still remained.

The game continued, one that he would observe and judge. He had underestimated the Trickster, and now the consequences of doing that were making themselves present. Even if the young Wild Card wouldn't call his current situation a good one, there was no denying that it was an _interesting_ one.

And to think his power could still grow…

" **Is there something wrong, Master?"** a calm, melodic voice regarded him, forcing his eyes open, his vision being greeted by two pairs of golden eyes, both belonging to one of the results of his rather sudden intermission into this Velvet Room.

Two beings, once being one and the same, regarded him with curiosity-filled expressions. Even if their appearances were of young human girls there was no denying they were anything but such, after all they had a power that he didn't, which was why he bothered to keep them around, or else the Trickster's grow would have been affected negatively.

And he couldn't have that, now could he? What was the point in a game if the field wasn't evenly matched?

" **Master?"** this time it was a more energetic voice, even if it still sounded meek compares to how she usually treated the guest of this room. It seems they had noticed his small shift during his trail of thoughts.

" **Nothing to worry"** his deep voice echoed in the whole room, his wide grin hiding behind his linked hands, which rested above his wooden desk **"But it seems our guest's journey has taken a sudden twist. I wonder, shall he rise from the deeps of despair, or will he fall victim to the poison that is betrayal?"** and even as he closed his eyes once again, ignoring the flashes of emotions that made themselves visible in the warden's eyes, only one thought crossed the God's mind.

What an interesting game had just begun.

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

How could it have come to this?

Why was this happening?

Why was she doing this?

Such questions were swarming his mind, his brain trying to come up with some sort of answer, but it was able to find none, or at least not one that didn't leave a horrible taste in his mouth.

And even as his whole body refused to move, even as he felt pain on his back, courtesy of the _Persona_ holding him to the ground, his tired gaze still moved upwards, seeking the eyes of the only person that could answer all those questions for him, even if the answers might not be the one he was looking for.

However the only thing that he saw was a pair of cold brown eyes that regarded him as nothing more than a mere annoyance. A gaze like that was something he was used to at this point, after all he had been regarded as a criminal for the past month by everyone he knew, but to think it would be _her_ the one having that gaze… it was enough to make him almost gasp, the only thing stopping him being the lack of air in his lungs, also a result of the weapon that was pressing him to the floor below him.

He tried to find something, _anything_ , in those cold orbs that would tell him that this was all a lie, some sort of trick or heck even just a nightmare, but watching the same eyes that had once looked at him with nothing but warmness and wit, now looking down at him as if he was an insect made him feel as if he was being stabbed, a shiver going down his spine.

His lips tried to move, but no sound escaped his mouth. He didn't even have to ask though, for the simple question that he was trying to convey was more than obvious in his own dark-grey eyes.

 _Why?_

This should have been a simple, if yet hard mission for them. Infiltrating a Palace, explore and secure a route to the Treasure, send the calling car and finally stealing said Treasure, triggering a so called change of heart on their target and making them atone for their crimes.

It might sound crazy and nonsensical for anyone that didn't know about the cognitive world, but for them, the Phantom Thieves of Hearts, it was nothing but your standard mission, even if the target this time was bigger than anything they had ever faced.

A powerful, highly charismatic and confident politician, Masayoshi Shido had been their newest target. A man that under no other circumstances would have been targeted by them, after all on the surface he simply looked like that, an excellent politician with a bright future ahead of him and anyone that followed him.

But a sudden incident with the man had forced them to act, if nothing but to prove his own innocence. His palace had definitely been the hardest one they had ever faced, the Shadows inside being nothing short of ruthless, with the place itself being a true representation of how the man saw this country.

That, combined with the information that they had discovered during their infiltration was more than enough evidence for the man deserving a change of heart.

And they had been so close to accomplishing it! So close of stopping him and not only giving a step forward to prove his innocence, but also to stop him from making Japan nothing but a stepping stone for the man's insane ambition.

And yet…

" **J-Joker…"** he heard a raspy, tired out voice to his side. His head turned as much as it could, his gaze moving from cold brown eyes to pained blue ones, only that these ones didn't belong to a human at all, even if the owner of said eyes would tell you otherwise. Instead they were the eyes of a small black creature, one that he knew very well, after all he had taught them everything they knew about how to be Phantom Thieves.

Morgana was his name, and his current state just made him grit his teeth in frustration, realizing just how bad their situation actually was. The small cat-like creature was also down on the floor, pain, shock and anxiety being the most prominent feelings in his blue eyes, and how could he blame him for that?

After all he was also being pressed into the ground, only that by a Shadow, a Cerberus to be more precise, the small Persona user being below the beast's paw.

If he could he would have crawled towards his friend, or at least done something to help him. He hated seeing Morgana looking so utterly defeated, he would honestly take his prideful attitude over this any time of the day.

But almost as if feeling his thoughts, the being above him pressed his weapon against his back even harder, sending another wave of pain through his body. A _Persona,_ he noted, was the one keeping him as a hostage, one that he had never seen his partner using until this day.

And considering what his partner was doing with it, he would have preferred to have never seen it in his life.

Speaking of said partner…

"How far have the mighty fallen, wouldn't you say, Joker?" she finally spoke, her voice just as cold as it was mocking, and even as he looked at her again, even with her clothes being completely black instead of the white and red he was used to seeing, and even with a completely different Persona under her disposal there was no denying it, it was certainly her, no nightmare, illusion or trick of his mind.

Akechi Goro, the woman known by the world as the Detective Princess, but to him she had been so much more. Not only was she his best friend, but also the third and final member of the Phantom Thieves alongside him and Morgana.

Codename Crow.

His _Partner_.

Her shoulder-length light brown hair, brown eyes and fair skin, it was definitely her, even if the sneer she was aiming at him was so utterly bizarre in his mind that he would have mistook her for anyone someone else if it wasn't for his current situation.

His lips tried to move again, his desperate gaze getting nothing but a raised eyebrow from the older girl, a serrated sword in her hand, a gun in the other, combined with her black outfit definitely made for a sight to see.

One that right now was doing nothing but making him sick.

"Why…?" he was finally able to whisper, the pain of her surprise attack still fresh in his body. He never had his guard up around her, he trusted her after all.

And now both he and Morgana were paying the price for that.

He almost feared that she hadn't heard him, but she confirmed hearing his words once she stabbed her sword to the ground, her feet moving slowly towards him, her eyes still locked onto his own.

She walked until she was right in front of him, and not a second later she kneeled, her free hand moving below his chin and raising his head forcefully, making him grunt and forcing him to look straight at her.

Her hand then moved from his chin towards his cheek, the action being as slow as it could be, her cold palm meeting the side of his face while her thumb kept moving almost tenderly, as if she was caressing him.

And in any other situation this would have probably broken the calm visage he always kept around others and instead turned him into a blushing mess, but right now the only thing he felt was confusion.

Because just for that one moment he could have swore that he saw something, a glint of something in her brown eyes, something that made him remember. He didn't know what that was, but for that single moment she was back at being his partner.

But as soon as it came it was gone, instead replaced by a glare. She removed her hand, and even as cold as it was he found himself missing her touch. She stood up again, and his eyes widened as he saw her raising his other hand, aiming at him with the weapon she was holding.

"I'm sorry…" was that regret in her voice? He would like to think that it was, but it was hard to tell at this point, specially as he felt his vision go blurry, the events of the day finally catching up him, his eyelids feeling as heavy as they could get.

" **Akira!"** and even as he heard Morgana's cry he wasn't able to do much about it, although the last vestige of consciousness he had felt like telling him to not break his own rules about codenames.

"Your _justice_ ends here" the way she spat the word justice almost felt as if she was mocking everything that they had done so far, so when he wasn't able to keep his eyes open any longer, the last thing he saw being the end of her gun, he was actually relieved.

At least he wouldn't have to see her like this anymore.

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

The next time he opened his eyes he found himself staring at the black sky that was Japan's night, the moon being high in the sky.

He had expected something completely different, since he honestly thought he would never open his eyes again, and definitely not in the real world. For some reason he at least expected to see the Velvet Room for at least one more time.

And yet here he was, in what was probably some sort of alley. Where exactly he didn't know, only that it was definitely outside of the Metaverse.

Not knowing where you were would be something that would normally sprung him into action, but right now he was so utterly tired that he doubted he would be able to move any muscle even if he tried.

Which he was actually forced to after a few seconds of noticing something on his chest, a small weight that made him move his hand towards it, his fingers touching soft fur that was instantly recognizable to him, and he was just glad to he could feel the little cat's breathing on his chest.

That small moment of gratefulness didn't change the fact of what had transpired. She had been their teammate, friend, and yet she had attacked them, she had almost killed them right there…

But they were alive somehow, and he knew it wasn't either his or Morgana's doing. _She_ had spared them, even though killing them at that point would have been the easiest thing in the world.

But why? He found himself asking that same question again in his mind, the same one that still plagued his thoughts. Why had she done this? Why had she spared their lives?

And even as uncertainty filled his heart, even as he knew that his life would forever be different from now on, with no way of clearing his name and with The Phantom Thieves being in shambles, a small fire still made itself present in his gaze.

He would find those answers, even if it would cost him his life.

He was the leader of the Phantom Thieves after all.

And if he couldn't even deal with something like this, what right did he have to call himself that?

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

 **Well I was bored after finishing my 2** **nd** **playthrough of the game, saw some fanart of FemAkechi and then thought about a small AU when both her and Joker met before the start of the game and then I just rolled with it.**

 **Nothing but a small one-shot AU that takes place right before Joker is sent to live with Sojiro, with the events prior to that obviously being different, with the two main factors being a) the game starting earlier with Joker awakening his Persona before being sent to Tokyo and b) He meets both Morgana and Akechi earlier too.**

 **This will probably stay like this, unless people actually like the idea, in that case who knows. Thank you all for reading this.**


	2. Back to Square One

"Akira" Normal Speech

'Akechi' People's thoughts

 **"Persona"** Other being's speech

' **Velvet'** Other being's thoughts

 **Disclaimer: You know the drill, Persona and the SMT franchise belong to our lord Atlus, may at least Joker appear on the new Arc System crossover fighting game between BlazeBlue, UNIEL, Persona 4A and RWBY (I don't know who came up with that idea but thank you for actually making it a reality!)**

 **Chapter 1**

 **Back to Square One**

 _Tokyo_

"Your parents never told me you had a cat…" a gruff voice said to his side, one that he was starting to relate to the figure that was Sakura Sojiro, the man that from this day onward would be his legal guardian, all part of the plan of sending him to Tokyo for his one year probation.

And Akira could tell that the older man was not in the best of moods. If it was because of his own presence in not only his life but also in his car, or because of the traffic that was stopping them from moving, he didn't know, although he guessed that it was both.

At least he had been nice enough to actually come and pick him up in his car, although by now Akira could tell that the man was regretting that decision a lot.

He hadn't brought a lot of things with him, mostly for the lack of time. After the whole _fiasco_ that was their last mission he had simply been too tired to do anything more than wait to be sent off. The only thing he had feverously tried to do was to find a way to contact his partner, but it was to no avail no matter how much he tried.

However if there was something, or rather someone, that he refused to part with, it was most definitely the small black cat that was sitting on his lap, the feline's gaze going from the bearded man, who was looking at Morgana with an estrange amount of interest, to his fellow Persona user.

" **I don't think he likes you very much…"** he commented what Akira could only describe as the obvious, and the only thing stopping him from rolling his eyes was the dejected sigh he released. He wasn't truly surprised about it, but knowing he might have to deal with it for a whole year was enough to damper his mood.

At least the man wasn't screaming at him, that was a nice change of pace from his parents.

"Will that be a problem?" the curly-haired teen finally spoke, doing his best to hide the anxiousness from his voice. A lot of things he could handle yes, but right now he doubted he would be able to deal with not having Morgana around.

The little guy had been doing his best to take him out of his funk every since their last mission, even though Akira could tell that he was struggling with his own issues too. After all, Akechi was a close friend with the two of them, and even though he knew her betrayal had probably hurt Morgana as much as it did him, the cat still went out of his way to make sure he got better.

He didn't want to imagine how much of a mess he would be right now if it wasn't for him.

He owed him a lot of sushi.

He honestly thought that his parents had at least warned the man about Morgana, but apparently he was wrong on that account. There was always the option of hiding him if the man didn't allow cats in wherever he lived, but after everything that had happened he didn't want to put his only remaining friend through something like that for a year.

Thankfully the answer he received was enough to make him relax a little bit.

"Not really. I guess having a pet could help your reformation" Sojiro answered as his eyes focused on the road, which finally looked like it was going to move , only for the flow of cars to stop once again not even a second later, getting a frustrated sigh from the man.

"However" he then spoke again, a glare aimed as Akira "Don't expect me to take care of it, and I better don't hear any of my costumers complaining about it. If he causes any trouble it won't be him the one I'm kicking out, got it?"

The curious side of him wanted to ask about the costumer's part of what he said, but Akira decided to simply nod, guessing that he would understand later once the man showed where he would be staying, and just glad that the man had no beef with cats.

" **Well…"** Morgana continued to talk, ignoring the absentminded pats that he was receiving from his friend **"I guess he's at least not that bad…"**

"He certainly likes to talk, doesn't he?" Sojiro spoke once again, and again he simply nodded in response, knowing that the man could only hear meows as if Morgana was just another cat "What's his name anyway?"

"Morgana…" the black-haired teen answered, immediately noticing how the feline seemed to pump his chest out with pride, his head held high as soon as his name was brought out, almost making him smile.

"Ah" a small sound of surprise left the older man, just as the cars in the road finally started to move again, Sojiro's eyes now focused on the front of the car "Sorry, I thought it was male"

If Sojiro's comment wasn't enough, the fact that Morgana almost fell down from his lap with a shocked expression on his face, which was just weird looking in a cat, was enough to make the corner of his mouth twitch upwards.

He truly didn't know what he would do without the little guy.

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

 _Later_

" **This place is a dump…"**

"It could be worse…"

" **I can see the spider webs from here"**

"It just needs a little bit of cleaning…"

" **Is that mold on the corner?"**

"Alright alright, I get it" Akira couldn't help but to sigh, after all he knew that Morgana was right, the place did need more than a couple hours of handwork, but it's not like they could do much about the place they would be living from now on "You got your own bowl though, that's something"

The deadpanned expression he received from the cat was certainly a sight to see, especially considering he was sure cats weren't supposed to make a face like that.

At least the bed was comfortable enough, but maybe that was just his tiredness speaking for him.

Morgana for his part simply jumped into the bed alongside Akira, his blue eyes roaming their new room, a sigh and shake of his head being his only reaction to it. It's not like their old room at the Kurusu household was anything fancy, but it was certainly better than this.

But even so that wasn't what was bothering Morgana the most. His gaze fell onto his sides, towards where Akira seemed lost in thought, and Morgana couldn't help but to frown in worry, not knowing what was going through the curly-hair teen but having an idea about it.

He knew the wound that Akechi's actions had left was still fresh, specially for his leader. Knowing him not only was he feeling betrayed, but also responsible for what happened. Even thought it made no sense for him, he just knew that Akira was thinking of ways he could have stopped her, and was blaming himself for not being able to do so.

That was one of the reasons he wasn't bringing _that_ up. The whole Akechi mess, alongside the fact that he was now branded as a criminal made Morgana worry about how well his friend was dealing with this. Fragile would never be a word he would use to describe Akira, but even so this was a lot for a person to handle.

Worst thing was how Akira would simply keep everything to himself. That self-composure was something he honestly admired from him as a leader, but right now it just made the blue-eyed cat worry even more.

It didn't help that the only one that normally got Akira to open up was also the one that had him in this mess to begin with.

But even so the situation needed to be talked about. Akechi's actions had also brought light to her ability to alter a Shadows's powers, the fact that she could also use different Personas, or at least two for what they had seen, alongside the change in her outfit.

So Morgana had to ask himself, what else had she hid from them? Was she going as far as to work for that man, Shido? The politician knew about the cognitive world and was using it for his plans, that much they knew from his Palace, but the question as of _how_ had plagued them from the moment they found out about that.

But with Akechi's actions… the answer now filled Morgana with nothing but dread, and he knew Akira must be feeling the same, but was probably doing his best to block that sequence of thoughts.

" **Akira…"** but even so they had to address it, not only was Shido still out and doing whatever he wanted, but if Akechi was truly helping him like he suspected then…

"Hmm?" Akira regarded him with a look of interest behind his glasses, and the young man could see how the feline seemed to struggle with something before shaking his head and then directing his blue eyes at him.

" **You should go to sleep. You can clean this place tomorrow and you need to rest, especially if we have to go to school tomorrow"** as headstrong as he could be, even Morgana knew that right now bringing Akechi wouldn't help much, it was too soon after all. He would give Akira a few days before bringing the subject up, it was the least he could do.

"We?" Akira commented, remembering how Sojiro had told him what they would be doing tomorrow. Shujin Academy would be their new school, and while he didn't have classes until the day after tomorrow he still had to go before in order to meet the principal.

" **Of course** _ **we**_ **! I'm not going to stay in this dust-trap while you're out all day!"** Morgana spoke with indignation, a mock glare on his face **"Besides I always went with you during your first year. A different school isn't going to change that,** _ **Joker**_ **"**

At hearing that the leader of the Phantom Thieves couldn't help but to smirk before chuckling and moving to scratch Morgana's ears, something that just got another cry of indignity, after all no matter how good it might feel, he was _not_ a cat for Akira to be treating him like a pet!

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

 _Velvet Room_

He should have known another surprise visit to this place was inevitable. Even if after a whole year of suddenly waking up in this place it was still not something you got used to it easily, which was why he preferred to come here on his own rather than being dragged by Igor.

Speaking of said long-nosed man, he was sitting on the middle of the room as always, his impish grin plastered on his face as his eyes focused on him.

He wasn't the only other being in this room though and knowing those two…

" **Hey, inmate!"** the sharp voice came as always, and his own gaze found itself meeting the angry glare of one of Twin Wardens, a little title he used in his head for them, one he just knew they wouldn't like, specially Caroline.

Speaking of Caroline.

" **Stop lazing of and stand straight!"** said girl glared at him with her golden eyes, her electrified stick on her hand while the other rested on her hip.

" **It would be wise of you to pay attention to our Master's words"** the one that could be called Caroline's opposite spoke, Justine's calm and cool voice also regarded him, a cold look on her eyes, easily contrasting her sister's heated glare.

It seems even after spending a lot of time doing their own personal requests he was never going to get a break from them, although considering how they treated him the first time he came in here, he much rather preferred their current relationship.

He really should finish that fusion list as soon as he got the time, it would at least take his mind out of everything that was happening around him.

They were right though, Igor wasn't one to call him without a reason, so knowing that the strange man had something to say Akira was quick to stand up and walk over the bars that blocked his cell from the rest of the room, the chain attached to his leg rattling as he moved.

" **It seems your rehabilitation has met a rather fierce impasse"** Igor's deep voice was as foreboding as it could get, and Akira didn't even have to ask to know what the owner of this Velvet Room meant, after all it was pretty obvious, even if he sometimes wondered how Igor even found out about this stuff.

Probably the app in his phone, he guessed.

" **Worry not, however"** Igor kept talking, and the so called Guest of the room could have sworn that his grin became even bigger **"For you will still receive our assistance as long as you require it… or has this sudden turn of events been enough to destroy your will to fight, young Trickster?"**

His eyes widened at the question, the hands that were on the metal bars gripping them even more tightly. Even for how confusing Igor could be, the question here was as simple as it could get.

Was he going to give up?

And Igor, or rather Yaldabaoth, had to admit that even without a verbal response, the fire in the young human's eyes was more than enough for an answer.

"I'm not done here" the so called Trickster answered without missing a beat, his eyes looking straight at Igor. There was no way he would just throw the towel now, not after everything and certainly not after knowing what Shido was capable of doing.

Igor had told him about a great catastrophe coming in the future, and he was more than certain that the man was either part off, or the sole responsible for said event. His own life had already being ruined by that man; he wasn't going to let him do the same to a whole country just because of his deranged quest for power.

Not only that but he just couldn't let things end like this between himself and her. He just refused to believe that their relationship had been nothing but a lie, a trick to make him trust her until she decided he was expendable. He needed to find her, to see her again and confront her.

He needed answers.

" **Good! At least the hard work we put in to you won't go to waste!"** Caroline spoke with a smirk, and knowing her that was the closest thing he would get to a compliment from her.

" **I'm glad to see your resolve even in times like this, inmate"** Justine on the other hand actually had a small smile on her lips. Sure it was barely noticeable and he was sure that if he had blinked he would have missed it, but considering from whom it was coming it was certainly enough.

" **Very well then"** Igor seemed to approve of his answer too, although it was hard to tell when the man's expressions never changed **"I look forward to see how not only yourself, but those that share your ideals will face what is to come"**

A look of surprise appeared in Akira's face as soon as he heard Igor's words, but before he even got the time to ask what he meant he felt the same thing he always felt right before he was pretty much kicked out of the room, almost as if his consciousness was being ripped away from his body.

The last thing he saw before going dark was Igor's grin, and this time he couldn't deny that it had somehow become bigger.

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

 _Two days later_

" **Well I guess the uniform at least looks good on you…"** Morgana commented just as he finished getting ready for his first day at Shujin Academy, the school's uniform hugging his body perfectly, his glasses on his eyes and schoolbag in the bed ready to be taken.

His room, or rather LeBlanc's attic, also looked less of a mess than before. Not by much mind you, especially with the amount of stuff just lying around, but progress was progress he decided.

"Let's go, getting late to the first day won't help much" he said just as Morgana got into his bag, knowing that all the teachers in the school probably knew about his current status, or at least that's how Principal Kobayakawa had made it sound yesterday, and judging by how one of his teachers, Kawakami if he remembered correctly, had reacted he knew that he wasn't going to get sympathy from the school's staff.

No reason to make it even worse by arriving late to his first day.

Going down into the main area of the LeBlanc left him with a small surprise though, after all expecting him was a small dish that looked like curry, while the owner of the place stood behind the opposite side of the bar, his eyes glued to the TV until he noticed the student coming down the stairs.

"First day, right?" Sojiro asked, to which he got a nod of response "Eat up before it gets cold then, just be sure to make it quick before it gets late"

Deciding to not look a gift horse in the mouth Akira simply thanked the older man before sitting and grabbing a spoon of the hot meal. He honestly didn't expect much out of it, but as soon as the curry made contact with his mouth it was as if his world exploded with flavor, his eyes widening, the spoon almost falling from his hand just out of shock.

"That good, huh?" Sojiro spoke once again, a smirk appearing on his face, knowing that when it went to curry he was second to no one.

Akira simply nodded wordlessly before continuing his meal, feeling slightly sad that Morgana wouldn't be able to eat such a dish because of his cat tongue.

Truly a shame.

"Thank you for the meal" once finished he thanked the man before standing up and moving towards the exit.

"Be sure to come here as soon as school is done, you hear me?" once again that serious, almost threatening tone came out of the barista, to which Akira simply nodded "Also, do me a favor and turn the sign on the door again"

Doing as he was told once he was out, the leader of the Phantom Thieves walked through the streets of Yongen-Jaya, his small partner finally popping out of his bag, or at least his head.

Travelling through train then came, and honestly through the whole journey Akira could feel the other passenger's anxiety. Not that he could blame them, after all he had also heard about the accident that had happened yesterday, so no wonders why people were so on edge.

At least there was no incident this time, for which he was glad about. Even so getting to his station became the least of his concerns once it started raining all of a sudden on his way to Shujin.

" **You really have a terrible luck, don't you?"** Morgana couldn't help but to comment from his back while Akira tried to get the water out of his hair.

"Says the black cat" and the black-haired teen was quick to shoot back with a smirk, getting hiss from the being in his bag.

Their argument was quick to die though, for just a few seconds later another figure suddenly stood besides Akira, earning his attentions. Not like he could even see the person's face though, with the way the hood she was wearing was blocking her from view.

Not that is lasted that much on though, since she was quick to remove it, allowing her blonde hair to go free and making Akira's eyes go wide for just a moment.

Although going by the gasp he just head from his bag he was sure Morgana's reaction had been much worse than his.

Not that he could really blame him though, after all there was no denying that this girl was a beauty, with blonde hair and blue eyes like the ocean; she was certainly a sight for sore eyes, one not commonly found in Japan.

Maybe staring right at her had not been the best idea, for she was actually quick to meet his gaze with her own, her eyes filled with curiosity right before she smiled.

And then her eyes went to his schoolbag.

And from curious eyes and a smile she went to a surprised look, suddenly followed by a set of giggles that almost had him groaning, already having an idea of what had happened.

An idea that was confirmed once he also looked at the opened space from his bag, from which Morgana's upper half was clearly visible, the cat apparently being completely stunned with the way his jaw almost met the floor while his eyes were as wide as they could be.

Well that was one way of making an introduction. First day and he was sure he would now be known as the crazy cat guy.

"What's his name?" the girl to his side finally stopped giggling, even going as far as wiping a tear from her eyes. At least there was no mockery in her voice, so maybe he could avoid rumors being made so early in the day.

However before he was able to answer, a car suddenly parked right in front of the pair, the window of said car then going down, allowing both teens to look directly at the man inside.

"Hey, you need a ride?" it was obvious that the question was directed at the blonde girl rather him, and going by just how strained the smile she had on her face was he was sure that she was going to reject the offer, but he was proved wrong once the girl actually accepted the offer and moved towards the car, giving the teen and still catatonic cat a last smile before hopping on.

"Do _you_ need a ride too?" it took him a second to realize that the man was now regarding him, but the only answer he gave him was just a shake of his head. The rain was pretty much stopping already, and if the man was somehow related to the school he didn't want him also finding out about Morgana.

"Suit yourself" those were the last words the man said before getting the window of his car up, the last thing Akira saw being the girl's face turning into a frown before the car sped away from the place, presumably towards Shujin.

A sigh escaped his lips before he scratched the back of his head. He was about to say something to Morgana, but it looked like the cat had finally got himself inside the bag, although he was still unresponsive so he could only guess how much that girl had affected him just with her looks.

'He was never like this around Akechi though…' Akira thought, never really remembering Morgana acting around Akechi any different that he did with him 'I guess blondes are his type'

He was more than ready to finally move once again now that the rain had had lessened, but his attention was taken away once another blonde, this time a guy, ran slight past him before stopping, apparently tired, muttering some stuff about perverted teachers under his breath.

He quickly noticed his gaze though, and turned to give him a glare that could have probably scared plenty of other guys.

Shadows were a lot scarier though.

"What you looking at, huh?" the blonde guy walked towards him, hands on his pocket with a slightly curved posture "Going to rat me to that bastard Kamoshida or something?"

"Who?" he couldn't help but to ask, honestly feeling a lot more confused than threatened by the guy's attitude.

"You know, Kamoshida? The guy in the car that just left?" and now he was looking at him as if he was dumb or something. At least he could now put a name to that face.

"Bastard thinks the school is his castle and that he can boss us around as if he was the king of the damn place" the blonde teen spat with anger, and at this point Akira felt as if he wasn't a part of the conversation, and apparently the guy noticed his confused stare if the frown he gave him was any indication.

"… How can you go to Shujin and _not_ know Kamoshida?" it was only now that Akira noticed that the blonde also had the same uniform as him, only that his was open, allowing everyone to see the blonde t-shirt he was wearing.

"First day at Shujin" Akira answered with a shrug, getting a look of understanding from the blonde.

"Oh, I guess that explains it…" said blonde muttered before turning around "You better hurry up then, new guy! It seems we're on the same year so I might see you around!" He said as he made a gesture with his right hand, which was actually holding a phone from what Akira could see, before pretty much sprinting out, the whole meeting just making Akira the most confused person around.

He decided to just shrug off everything his fellow schoolmate had just told him, no need to fret over it just yet after all. His legs carried him forward at a much more slower pace than what the blonde had ran before since he still had time.

Hands on his pocket the Persona user ignored the rain falling on top of him, the streets surprisingly empty, although he guessed it was probably because of the rain.

And as he walked his thoughts wandered to what his life would be from now on. The house and school change was already a big thing, let alone the fact that he now had a criminal record, but what mostly pressed on his head was his duty, or to be more precise, the future of the Phantom Thieves.

Yes, he had told Igor that this wasn't the end of them, and he had truly meant it, but he didn't know how to proceed from this point onward. Before it was easy, getting targets wasn't a problem with Akechi's connections after all, but now…

He had ignored everything about the Phantom Thieves online every since the incident in Shido's Palace, deciding that it was for the best until he managed to organize himself. Not that it was easy though, for to say that the Phantom Thieves were a little famous would be an understatement.

Akechi had showed him plenty of internet sites dedicated to nothing but them after all. It was quite honestly something that he hadn't expected when he started doing it, but he supposed it was due to happen considering how public some of the calling cards they sent were.

It almost made him glad that Akechi had apparently used her connections to make sure Shido's got deliver privately, only that now looking back at it, it had probably been nothing but a lie, and he wouldn't be surprised if Shido never got the calling card in the first place.

Such thoughts still left nothing but a bitter taste in his mouth. The most obvious choice would be to tackle Shido's palace again, but with no way of sending another card, alongside the fact that he only had Morgana on the team now, doing such a thing was practically impossible.

He needed to get stronger then. Finding a way to send the calling card would come sooner or later, but with his current strength he knew he wouldn't be able to go through that Palace with just Morgana, especially if she came to stop them too.

And with no other Palace around it seems the only place to go train would have to be _that_ one.

" **Akira, I think we might have a problem…"** he was taken out of his thoughts by Morgana's voice coming from his bag, but before he could ask him what was wrong he turned around a corner, his eyes suddenly falling into a massive building halfway through the street, said building spewing off such a familiar vibe that Akira wasn't able to stop himself from running towards it, getting a full frontal look once he reached the front of it.

"This is…" he whispered, his eyes wide, knowing exactly what this place was. There was no doubt about it, after all he had spent a whole year entering places like this.

But that would mean…

" **A Palace, yeah"** Morgana's voice sounded once again, the cat jumping off the bag, only that once he landed Akira was able to see that he had transformed, with him now standing in two legs, his blue eyes focused on the Palace in front of them **"We have been inside the Metaverse for a while now"**

"I didn't even notice… how?" he quickly took out his phone, wanting to make sure it had not been his app that had got him here. He certainly didn't remember opening the thing, let alone inserting the necessary keywords, so how had this happened?

" **I'm not sure… sorry, I should have noticed sooner"** Morgana spoke with regret in his voice while shaking his head. He was glad nothing had got them by surprise while they were inside, but he should have been more careful.

He couldn't help it though, for until that day he had never seen such a beautiful girl such as the blonde goddess he had met today.

Not that he would tell Akira that, mind you, his pride wouldn't let him.

"Kamoshida…?" Akira for his part muttered once he read the keywords that the app had registered somehow, even though it shouldn't have since it had not been opened every since he got to Tokyo.

His eyes wandered once again to the entrance of what apparently was supposed to be a castle in the place Shujin Academy should be. His own clothes had yet to change so at least the place wasn't so on edge like Shido's had been.

It was then that he noticed something in the distance that made his eyes go wide. He ran towards it, crossing the wooden bridge and ignoring Morgana's yelling his name. Once he reached the object he kneeled in order to inspect it, thoughts on his head moving a mile per second.

" **What's gotten into you all of a sudden?!"** Morgana demanded once he got close, his own gaze then falling into the object into Akira's hand **"A bag?"**

Akira simply nodded, inspecting the black bag in his hands, noticing how it had a big gash into one of his sides, the things inside falling off from the bag as soon as he lifted it.

" **Joker…"** this time Morgana's voice came as sharp as when he talked about mission, getting his leader's attention almost immediately **"I don't think that bag is part of this world. I can't feel the cognition around it"**

"So it's from our world" Akira understood to where Morgana was going with this quickly, a sharp look appearing in his eyes "and someone must have dropped it…"

It made enough sense; especially considering he was sure his own app had not been the one responsible of transporting them here, which means it had been something else. The app was, as far as he knew, the only actual way to go into the Metaverse, so rather than what, it was a question of _who_ had used the app so close to him and Morgana that they had been transported into this place without even realizing it.

And then it was that name, Kamoshida. The app registered this place as his Palace, and up to this point he had only ever heard that name from one person.

Dread filled his being just as his eyes focused on the massive doors that were the entrance of the castle. Could it have been that guy with the bleached hair then?

"Mona" the commanding tone in which he spoke told the cat that he was no longer speaking with Kurusu Akira, but rather Joker, leader of the Phantom Thieves, which meant that the situation was as bad as it could be.

" **You're thinking if someone else could have gotten trapped here by accident?"** Morgana, or rather Mona as he was called in missions, asked, understanding the predicament they were currently in.

"Is it possible?"

" **Considering we don't really know from where the app even came from"** that was technically a lie, but Akira knew better than telling anyone about Igor and the Velvet Room **"I wouldn't rule over the chance of that happening, especially if we didn't go in with yours"**

Even if the chance was small it didn't matter to him, he had already made his mind the moment Morgana had confirmed that the bag wasn't part of this world. If there was even a chance someone was trapped inside that place then…

"We're going in"

They had no time to lose.

" **Just like that? No infiltrating or even finding a more subtle entrance that the front door?"** the reproaching tone Morgana was using was not something new, but even so he didn't even doubt about moving alongside his leader towards the entrance, Akira's bag now forgotten on the floor.

"We don't have the time. If someone is really there then we must find them as soon as possible" he announced, knowing that this wasn't the best way to go around it, but not caring if a life was really on peril right now.

" **We'll need information then, or you plan to check every corner of this place?"** this time Morgana's comment simply got a small smirk from his fellow Persona user, right before he did what Morgana pretty much considered the unthinkable…

And kicked the doors straight open with so much force he was sure the bang had been heard in every inch of the castle.

And considering how big the doors were Morgana was more than sure he had used his Persona's strength just for that.

"Let them come to us then" if Shido's Palace had been like a raging fire with how oppressing the place had felt, then this one felt like nothing but a small candle in comparison, so that was why when both he and Morgana entered, when they started getting surrounded by knights-looking Shadows, that Akira felt not even an tinge of worry.

" **How dare you barge in** **Lord Kamoshida's castle without an invitation?!"** one of the Shadows, this one being a golden knight unlike the rest that were of silver, spoke in a deep, menacing voice, that echoed in the luxury looking, massive room that they all were.

In response Akira simply smirked, and almost as if he had commanded it so blue fire quickly covered his form right before disappearing with a gust of wind, his school uniform now replaced by a black styled coat and clothes, red gloves and a white mask that covered his eyes.

" **Show off!"** Morgana couldn't help but to exclaim, even though Akira could feel his smirk even without looking at him, they were back to back after all, completely surrounded by the enemy.

That just made it easier.

"Keep one alive for interrogation" the one known as Joker ordered, getting a nod of confirmation from his teammate just as the Shadows started closing in on them. They hadn't brought their weapons of course, but they still had something else far more capable with dealing with beings like these.

It was their gift, their power and the sole reason they could be called Phantom Thieves.

Such was the power of Persona

" **Come, Zorro!"**

"Arsene!"

And with their commands two beings formed themselves above their summoners, one completely covered in black clothes, a rapier in his hand and a fierce looking glare in his eyes.

The other one had massive black wings, a body mostly of red and black and a bit of white, sharp looking black claws and a top hat resting above his masked face with red-like flames igniting said mask, giving the illusion of a face.

And just as they had closed in, the Shadows now gave a step back in both shock and fear, even if such feeling were impossible to see on them right now, it was more than obvious for the pair of Persona users.

And right there, not even a week after once of their members betrayed them, even with their formation slightly open for a ghostly third member that wasn't there, the Phantom Thieves of Heart jumped into action.

"Show me your true self!"

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

 **A quick update just so that the fic becomes a little bit more than just an idea and prologue. Glad to hear people are liking the idea. Always wanted to write a Persona fic but never got an idea I liked enough until now.**

 **I'm writing some events different simply because I don't want this to just be a text version of the game. We all come from just playing it so I just wanted to change things to not make it boring, even if is just a bit in some places.**

 **Yes, Joker and Morgana are obviously stronger at this point, since they had a whole year of experience and the fame that came with the acts. This will be a key part on how they deal with Palaces from now own and how they interact with the rest of the Phantom Thieves.**

 **And more FemAkechi next chapter too, can't forget about her.**

 **Once again, thank you all for reading this fic.**

 **Next Chapter: Castle Siege**


	3. Unforeseen Pieces

"Akira" Normal Speech

'Akechi' People's thoughts

 **"Persona"** Other being's speech

' **Velvet'** Other being's thoughts

 **Disclaimer: You know the drill, Persona and the SMT franchise belong to our lord Atlus, may the milking era of Persona 5 be long and prosper (I wouldn't mind a P3 remake with those sweet models you showed in the P3DMN trailer, Atlus. Just saying)**

 **Chapter 2**

 **Unforeseen Pieces**

 _Genzai_

"Ahh, the food here is definitely top notch; don't you think so, Sae-san?" brown eyes regarded the tall woman to her side with curiosity, a smile present on her own lips jut as she brought the chopsticks to her mouth once again, marveling at the sublime taste of the sushi they were eating.

"And extremely expensive too…" however the only response she got was a sigh by the older, silver-haired woman that sitting on the stool to her right, her reddish brown eyes looking down at the food with a worried frown.

It was hard to enjoy something like this when you knew the price of it.

"You shouldn't frown so much, Sae-san. Someone as young shouldn't have wrinkles after all" the sharp gaze she received by saying those words did little to scare her "Besides I'm paying for my own share anyway. I could pay for yours too if you want"

"No thank you" the offer was swiftly rejected however, just as the business suit-wearing woman started eating "I still don't even get where you get the money for stuff like this, you're still a student after all"

"My services aren't cheap, Sae-san" she answered, and one Niijima Sae knew how truth that statement could be. She had no exact figure, but it was a well known rumor after all "It comes with the reputation"

And what a reputation that was, which certainly said a lot about her skills considering how tough it could be for a woman to rise in today's society, and no one knew this better than Sae herself, but she also knew you would be hard-pressed to find someone that would question the skills of the girl by her side.

The results spoke for themselves.

Goro Akechi, known as a genius detective all over the country, one that has so far resolved every single investigation that had been sent her way, even those that the police had been truly unable to figure out on their own. A public figure that was not only known by those like her, but also extremely popular with the general public, something that, in Sae's opinion, had a lot to do with not only the way she acted in front of the cameras, but also because of her looks.

There was no denying that good-looking people had an advantage, especially when it came to being public figures. The young detective had no issues in that aspect though, and to call her anything but a beauty would be an understatement. Combine that with her charisma and it was no surprise she had every news outlets like putty in her hands.

"However" the brown-haired girl spoke again, her gloved hands resting on her lap "if it is you I guess I can make an exception. This is hardly a friendly meeting after all, am I right?"

Another sigh escaped Sae's lips, knowing Akechi was right. Of course she didn't invite the young detective out to eat just to socialize; she hardly had the time for that, but she would have preferred to bring the subject herself.

"I'm pretty sure you have your own theories already" the older woman said, her food forgotten already "about the… _incidents_ that have been happening for the past year" her tone was as serious as it could be, after all what she was referring to was probably the biggest controversy that the country was facing

Or at least if you believed in such things. There were still a handful of the population that didn't believe in _them_ , but considering not only the fame they were gaining by the masses thanks to their _heroes of justice_ reputation, alongside their mysterious method for bring down criminals that even today puzzled her to no end, you would be hard pressed to walk through the streets without hearing _something_ about them.

Even some stores were starting to sell merchandise about them.

Such was the popularity of the Phantom Thieves of Heart.

Also known as the ones responsible for Sae's current headache.

"The Phantom Thieves, huh?" Sae heard the younger girl whisper, and she had to admit she was honestly curious about her opinion about them, after all for all the public talk the detective did, whenever the subject of the Phantom Thieves was brought up she always avoided the question or answered as vaguely as she could.

Sae would like to think that someone like Akechi would in no way support a group of people that could apparently brainwash anyone they felt like it, but considering she had already seen a few of her colleagues talking positive about them the possibility was still there.

"I didn't know you were the one in charge of that case, Sae-san" with her food also forgotten the brown-haired woman looked straight at Sae with a raised eyebrow, the smile that was plastered on her face almost frozen in place.

"I'm not" the prosecutor answered, a hand massaging her temple "but it doesn't change the fact something like this should be looked over with a lot more attention than it has been given" she folded her arms below her chest, this time giving Akechi a sharper glance "And I'm sure someone like you must have at least some hypothesis about it"

"None that could help you, Sae-san, I haven't paid that much attention to them as you might believe" and for the way the brown-haired girl resumed her meal Sae understood that this was as far as they would get in this subject, something that honestly perplexed her.

She understood wanting to keep an image for your audience, but did the girl really expect her to believe that she had nothing? While depending on a minor was something that left a sour taste in her mouth, she knew Akechi Goro was not one to just ignore something like this, but yet here she was, acting as if the Phantom Thieves were nothing but a small nuisance.

And she would admit she had once believed the same, but they could be hardly considered just that by now.

"Is that it? You honestly expect me to believe that?" Sae questioned, a glare starting to form in her eyes, but the only response she got was the famous detective putting another piece of sushi in her mouth, a humming sound escaping her throat.

"You really don't care what they might do in the future?" Sae's questions continued, her glare turning into a frown. She hated the thought of people like the Phantom Thieves going around free, even if their actions were seeing as just by the public, for her it was only a matter of time until they crossed the line.

And with no one to stop them, who knew how far they would go.

"Not anymore…" the whisper that left the younger girl's lips was so low that not even Sae was able to hear it, or else she would have definitely asked her about it.

And even as she kept eating the delicious, expensive meal, at that moment it tasted like nothing but ashes.

 **P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5P5**

Ryuji Sakamoto was most definitely not having a good day.

Most of his days were already filled with crap, that was for sure, between being labeled as a delinquent by pretty much the whole school, his issues with the former members of the track team and of course having to deal with the king of bastards Kamoshida on daily basis, Ryuji's daily school life was not one he would remember fondly in the future.

But even so, this day would probably be remembered by him as the most fucked up one without a doubt.

If he got out of here alive that is.

It had all started with just a minor nuisance, some weird app appearing on his phone and refusing to be deleted no matter how much he tried. He honestly blamed one of his schoolmates, Yuuki Mishima, for that one, after all the strange app had appeared on his phone right after he started checking on the Phantom Thieves related websites that Mishima kept recommending to everyone.

Of course he was a fan of them just like any sane person would be, not as much as Mishima mind you, for someone so shy he certainly liked to talk about them, but even so Ryuji had his fair appreciation for them, after all not only the idea of mysterious heroes was extremely cool, but the fact that they only aimed at shity adults just made it even better in his eyes.

But even as much as he liked them, he certainly didn't appreciate getting some virus into his phone, which had persisted for days, so considering he had woken up after deleting that thing just to find it again on his phone made the start of his day a not so great one.

Then he saw Kamoshida, or rather his car, earlier than he would have liked. The fact that his old friend, Ann Takamaki, had gone inside the creep's car just made it worse. He knew she was his favorite, not that Kamoshida really tried to hide it anyway, but in his mind anyone that didn't realize Kamoshida's true colors was nothing short of an idiot.

But all of that pale in comparison to the mess he had been caught just after that, after all finding some sort of bizarre looking castle right where your school was supposed to be could only be considered like one hell of a mess.

But that was just the beginning. The cherry on top had to be when he was attacked by apparently the guards of the damn castle when he tried to check the inside.

Getting handled by weird knight-dressed bastards as if he was a bag of trash was not his cup of tea.

" **Hmph, what are you waiting for? Get rid of this scum already!"** he grunted at hearing those words, his breathing becoming as shallow as it could get. He didn't know what he hated the most, if that the guy that was apparently ordering his death was a smug-looking, even more of a bastard version of Kamoshida, or the fact that he was unable to do anything as one of those silver knights nodded before raising his sword high, the intent being more than obvious.

And just as Ryuji closed his eyes, his body trembling, knowing what was to come, the last thing he swore to himself he would do was to make Kamoshida pay, one way or another.

Or at least it would have been the last thing he ever thought, if not by the sound of something crashing against steel that interrupted his execution.

The blonde teen slowly opened his eyes once he didn't feel the sword slicing him open, his trembling gaze quickly noticing how no one was paying attention to him, and instead were looking outside of the cell they were all in.

Curiosity taking over he ended up doing the same, his eyes falling into something that looked like a helmet, on the ground beyond the bars of the cell. Was that what had caused the sound?

" **You!"** his attention was taken by Kamoshida of all people, and while Ryuji had once thought that the sight of the man couldn't make him any more sick, the fact that he was wearing nothing but a cape and underwear was enough to make him want to vomit **"Check what's going on, now!"**

" **Yes, my liege!"** Ryuji's eyes followed as one of the two knights presents on the cell nodded with vigor before leaving the room, everyone's stare on the silver knight as it walked towards the helmet in the ground, said object being a little far away from the bars.

And Ryuji had to admit that, if he hadn't been focusing, he would have probably missed everything that happened in the next ten seconds.

For just as the knight reached the helmet a black blur shot from the shadows so quickly that Ryuji would have missed it if he had blinked. The black figure shot upwards, actually landing on top of the knight, too fast for even the silver being to react.

Not that he lasted long there, for not even a second later the figure jumped once again, using the knight as a platform and launching itself like a missile straight at the cell, said action pushing the knight in the opposite direction.

And with Ryuji's focus on the black figure that was moving towards them like a projectile he wasn't able to see the representation of California's defender, Zorro, piercing the knight that the figure had used to jump with his sword, said knight dissolving into nothingness a few seconds after.

Not that things were calm in Ryuji's cell of course, considering that the knight that had been standing in front of him, ready to butcher him with his sword, had now been forcibly pushed into the wall, actually making a dent on it, courtesy of the figure clad in black that was now standing in front of the blonde teen, his back to him, with Ryuji only being able to watch as his coat moved as if it was being hit by the wind.

And Ryuji was able to do nothing but to simply stare in awe and shock; his eyes glued to the person's back, his own body still resting on the floor. Just who was this guy?

"Are you ok?" it took him a second to realize that the serious, sharp voice was being aimed at him, courtesy of the guy in the black coat, who was now looking at him from over his shoulder.

He just nodded dumbly in response, not knowing what else to say considering just how insane the whole situation was. He would really like to know just what the hell was going on!

" **How dare you!"** and the blonde never thought he would see such a hateful glare coming from Kamoshida, with even his words dripping nothing but venom **"Another lowly scum wanting to die? Fine! You, what are you waiting for? Eliminate these intruders already!"**

The last words were aimed at the still recovering knight that had been pushed into the wall, with said being now slowly making his way towards the pair of so called intruders.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you…" if Ryuji had been alone he would have probably panicked once again, or even try a mad attempt at escaping, but hearing the sheer confidence in his savior's voice made him sat there, unmoving, something telling him that he was about to get one hell of a sight.

He could even feel the smirk that was probably plastered over the guy's face.

"But if you insist…" the knight looked ready to strike, sword in hand being raised to cleave its lord's enemies in half.

The next word that was spoken was enough to send the rather big cell room into another frenzy.

"Arsene!"

And once again the blade never met its intended target, for with just a swift movement another being was called forth into the room. The representation of the Gentleman Thief made an appearance with a flash of blue right behind the figure of his summoner, his black claws easily stopping the incoming sword, and the black wings on his back expanding as much as they could in the slightly cramped cell, almost hitting Ryuji in the face.

A shocked gasp left his mouth, and going by what he heard he wasn't the only one surprised, for he was sure that he had heard Kamoshida gasping too, and for all the hate he had towards that guy he just couldn't blame him, after all he himself had no idea about what the hell was going on, only that some sort of monster had suddenly appeared

And not only was the winged being more intimidating in Ryuji's eyes, but his next actions proved just who has the superior one between the two, for before the knight even got the time to do anything the being's free hand flashed in red and black.

And then in another flash the energy shot out of the claw, and the knight found itself once again being rammed against the wall opposite of the cell, with the only difference being that this time there was a gaping hole right at the middle of his armor.

The knight, or Shadow as it was known to a few, didn't even got the time to scream in pain before it was disintegrated, it's armor becoming nothing but rusty scraps that fell to the floor with a clank.

" **Y-You!"** the only other feeling stronger than anger in the almost naked Kamoshida was fear, and Ryuji would have to been blind to not see how his legs were shaking under the gaze of not only the black coat-wearing figure, but also the black and red winged monster.

Suffice to say it didn't take long for him to bolt out of the cell room as if his life depended on it, which considering what Ryuji had just witness it might as well be true.

And then with another flick of the monster's wings the cell was left with only two occupants, with a nothing but shocked Ryuji looking up at the figure that had saved him, who had finally turned around to regard him directly, allowing Ryuji to see his face.

Or at least the white mask covering it anyway. That just added to the million questions he had about everything that had happened today, but even as he tried to voice out any of them his throat instead just released a spluttering sound, his mouth doing the best impression of a fish that it could manage.

" **Are you sure letting that guy leave was a good idea?"** and now there was a weird, small black thing entering the cell too! And it could talk!

"W-w-wha.."

"We can't afford to fight against a Shadow like that with a civilian on toe" the black-haired, mask-wearing guy said, his eyes drifting from the small figure and back to him.

" **How is he anyway?"** the small talking animal, or at least what Ryuji assumed was an animal considering the ears, was also looking at him with blue eyes, and even thought it wasn't human the blonde was easily able to tell that the small guy wasn't impressed by what he saw.

"Good question" his grey eyes were looking down at him, and Ryuji was sure that the guy had a raised eyebrow, even if his mask didn't allow him to see it "How are you feeling?"

It was a dumb question, and everyone there knew it, although no one knew it better than the one that said it in the first place. In his defense this was their first time dealing with a situation like this, and just the fact that it happened brought so many questions to his mind, and he was damn sure he was going to ask Igor about it as soon as he could.

Speaking of said civilian.

"What the fuck is going on?!" the figurative dam that was Ryuji's composure finally broke down, his yell echoing easily. It's not like he _wanted_ to be loud, he just wanted to understand what was happening!

" **Geez, if he's able to scream like that then I'm sure he's fine"** the talking animal said before looking suspiciously outside of the room, his blue eyes then regarding the mask-wearing guy **"We should go before they get reinforcements down here. We weren't exactly stealthy after all"**

The guy nodded in acceptance before extending a gloved hand towards him, making the blonde look at the limb in confusion.

"I know you must have questions, but we must go before they catch us. Can you walk?" his question was quick and on point, his words making Ryuji blink and simply stare for a whole second before grasping the offered arm firmly.

Walk? He had been one of the best members of the Track team at one point, he could certainly do a lot more than just walk, weird ass castle or not!

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Alright so maybe he hadn't taken into account a few things. Among them just how massive the damn castle actually was. He didn't remember much about it at first, but boy was he getting out of breath already, and they had barely left the dungeons!

He had wanted to stop more than once already though, not so much because he was getting tired, although he had to admit keeping up with these two was taking a toll on him, but mostly because of the stuff he was seeing as they dashed through the castle.

Turns out he wasn't the only one trapped in here!

Or so he had thought, and he had tried to do something about it of course! But the only thing he had been told, before pretty much being dragged out of there, was that they 'weren't real'

What the hell was that supposed to mean?! How could they _not_ be real? They just weren't making any sense! _None_ of this made sense!

And of course he could only take so much blindly, and this was far beyond his limit.

" **What are you doing?! We must keep moving!"** the little guy, whose name was Mona as far as he had been able to figure out, said to him once he suddenly stopped with his own head low, his knuckles white with how much pressure he was putting on them.

"No!" Ryuji shot back, a glare aimed at the duo that rescued him. He was grateful for that, he truly was, but that didn't mean he could just ignore everything that was happening around him as if he was supposed to just turn a blind eye to it all "I have no idea what's going on, where we are or who you guys are, and I won't follow you around until someone explains just what the hell is going on!"

In response Mona simply growled at him with a glare of his own, and by the way his mouth opened Ryuji was sure that this would turn in a yelling match as quickly as it could, but a raised hand from the human-looking one of the duo stopped the little guy in his tracks, who ended up just huffing to the side, deciding that if his leader wanted to deal with this guy then better him than himself.

The silver eyes of the one Ryuji so far knew as Joker swept across the room they were currently in. It was an expensive looking one, with tons of stuff that Ryuji was sure were more valuable than anything he owned. Definitely a change of pace from the dungeons they had just left.

It was once his eyes stopped on a particular door that he regarded the blonde student once again before nodding, hands on the pockets of his coat.

"I wouldn't recommend staying here any longer than we must" he began, again in the same calm voice that Ryuji had heard so far, before moving towards the door that had caught his attention "But I understand. C'mon, I'll give you the answers you want, but staying in the middle of this room will only make us easy prey"

Mona followed silently towards the door, and after mulling it for a few seconds Ryuji followed, entering the new room after the two, his own eyes widening as soon as he entered.

"What the hell…" he said, barely believing what he was seeing. Everything so far had been as crazy as it could get, but this one wasn't left behind in terms of weirdness.

Somehow the room actually _flicked_ , the walls and everything inside the room changing by the second between another kind of room that rich people would have in their houses and what looked to be like classroom.

A _Shujin_ classroom to be more precise.

However it only took a few seconds for the weird event to stop, the room finally just looking like the rest of the castle, almost as if nothing had ever happened.

The other two just took it in stride though, with Mona simply jumping into the table in the middle while Joker seemed to inspect the room before turning around and looking at him, hands still on his coat.

"Alright, so you have questions" a gloved hand being raised stopped Ryuji from just voicing them right there "Sit, and we'll go through them one by one, alright?"

Nodding reluctantly the blonde teen did as he was told, deciding to sit as far as he could from Mona, who seemed to be fine with just ignoring the blonde and letting the other member of the duo handle the situation.

What followed, in honest to all, just made Ryuji somehow even more confused about their current dilemma; something that he just didn't think was possible. Another world? Cognition? Monsters known as Shadows? It just didn't make sense in his head!

It all sounded like some plot of an anime or videogame to be honest, and the blonde knew that if it wasn't for just how surreal this day had been he would have thought that this guy was just insane.

But the guy was definitely being serious here, that much Ryuji could tell. His own head hurt from so much information that he barely understood, and with each question that he asked two more seemed to pop into existence.

" **I don't think he's even getting it, Joker"** Mona drawled out, smirking at the now glaring Ryuji.

"Shut up!" the blonde answered, his glare quickly turning into a confused frown "Wait, what are you even supposed to be anyway?"

" **A human of course, duh!"** Ryuji didn't know what he liked the least, if the condescending tone he was receiving or the look he was getting that screamed that he was an idiot for even asking that.

"Bullshit" he answered back without missing a beat "This shit is weird as it can get but there's no way you're a human. You look like a cat for god's sake!"

And the hiss he got in return did little to disprove that fact.

" **Of course I'm human, you dumbnut. That's why I can use a Persona!"** with more than a little pride spewing off from his voice, the black creature answered.

Ahh yes, that was one of the first things he had asked, about the monster that had appeared on the cell, or rather, the _Persona_ as these two liked to call it.

Not that he would let the _cat_ talk him down like this, and it was obvious that Ryuji was going to keep the argument if he hadn't be stopped by a cough from the third occupant in the room.

"Mona, stop trying to pick a fight" he admonished, but the only thing he got was a roll of eyes from said individual, before he now addressed the blonde "And I know it seems weird, but its part of the dish that is the cognitive world. Another reason for us leaving as soon as possible"

Ryuji looked down at his lap, mulling over the information he had received. He scratched the back of his head, honestly not knowing what to believe. It all sounded just so…alien to him, and he almost had to wonder again if all of this was just a bad dream.

"So what you're saying is…" he started slowly, deciding to focus on the so called Joker since he was the least pain in the ass from the two "That this whole place is like a weird dimension that just exists because Kamoshida thinks the school is really his castle?"

"More or less" Joker answered swiftly, fingers drumming the table "I don't know this Kamoshida guy, but for a place like this to exist then his views of the school must really be twisted. Not everyone has a thing like this place after all"

He nodded, accepting the answer; after all considering how Kamoshida acted in school he wouldn't be surprised if he honestly to god thought that the school was his own personal castle.

Speaking of Kamoshida.

"Wait, then the Kamoshida I saw…?!"

" **Nothing but a Shadow"** this time it was Mona the one that answered **"The real one must be at school right now. The only thing you saw was the cognitive version of that man, his Shadow to be more precise. A ruler for a castle"**

"So those guys we saw in those cells? They aren't real?" he asked again, wanting to be sure about that more than anything. There was no way he would let someone at Kamoshida's mercy after all, real Kamoshida or not.

" **Nope"** once again Mona took hold of the conversation **"Just another part of the cognition. No one from the outside is here except us three"** the small guy then looked down, and Ryuji could have sworn that he saw a flash of anger in his blue eyes **"But for a teacher to see his students like that, to the point of torture? People will never cease to amaze me"**

He didn't know what Mona was talking about, but he sure understood the sentiment. Kamoshida was scum through and through; this just confirmed it even more.

"And you guys use these… Personas?" an affirmative nod from the two was what he received "To fight the Shadows? That… actually sounds kind of cool"

"Glad you agree" the way his lips twitched upwards told the blonde that the masked figure was holding himself from smiling "We should leave now though. The castle must be in pandemonium right now, and the more time we waste the worse it could get"

The black-haired man stood up, and Ryuji was about to follow him, until another question popped into his head.

"Wait, how did I get here in the first place? If this is really another dimension I mean…" he asked with a frown.

"Your cellphone" and the answer he got was something he did not expect "You have it with you?"

He nodded before retrieving the device from his pocket, glad that it still worked, but he swore under his breath as soon as he noticed that the screen had cracked a bit. His mom was going to kill him for it.

The device was quickly snatched from his hands by the mask-wearing figure, and before Ryuji even got time to complain the guy showed him his phone, a familiar app currently working on the device.

"This thing got you in here" he said before returning the phone to its owner "I don't know how you got it, but I would erase it if I were you"

Well now he was seriously going to kill Mishima for getting him into this mess!

"Ready to go?" the blonde looked from his phone to the masked figure, who was now standing at one side of the door, with the cat standing on the other side, looking a bit impatient for leaving.

There was just one last thing, one last question that kept burning the back of his head, but he just didn't know how to say it properly. All of this sounded as crazy as it could be, but what did that tell you about the people that actually knew about it?

"Just…" he sighed in frustration, eyes going between Joker and Mona, who were looking at him expectantly "Just who are you guys?"

Then they shared a look, one that Ryuji didn't know how, but that it was enough for the two to talk with each other, and considering how Mona ended up huffing and looking to the side he honestly wondered how that conversation had ended.

Then again not in his wildest dreams could he have predicted the answer he got.

"We are the Phantom Thieves"

…all right so first bragging to Mishima and then killing him. Sounded like a good plan to him

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 **Well not much with this chapter to be honest. I will try to show how the different setting, aka The Phantom Thieves already being a known force and both Joker and Morgana's previous experience coming to play, alongside the consequences of Akechi's actions.**

 **For those that want more action I'll promise that there will be enough in the future, stronger Joker or not.**

 **This story has received a lot more support than I anticipated, so glad people like it! Even if I know I butcher the language sometimes.**

 **Also I know I didn't change Akechi's first name, so if you guys really want that I could do it. Feel free to leave suggestions and if the idea gets enough support I'll try it.**

 **Once again, thank you all for reading this far, and thank you for the favs, follows and those sweets reviews.**

 **Next Chapter: Civilian Problems.**


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